


Do You Want to Be My Sidekick?

by ahuehuehueee



Category: Oresama Sensei | Oresama Teacher
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Friends to Lovers, OOC as hell, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-25
Updated: 2016-06-12
Packaged: 2018-05-03 08:41:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5284160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahuehuehueee/pseuds/ahuehuehueee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Why don't you stay at my house tonight?" Before she could filter her thoughts, Mafuyu had already asked the question. Hayasaka reluctantly agrees to sleep over at Mafuyu's house.</p><p>Future AU. Spoilers for the Hayasaka arc.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Why Don't You Stay at My House Tonight?

**Author's Note:**

> This story is just some fluff. Boring sometimes, but fluff nonetheless. I kind of just wanted to practice writing a straight up romance with minimal frills. I usually don't. I usually avoid doing those kinds of stories like a plague. lol

"I can't believe you really believed I was a hero of love and justice."

Mafuyu watched Hayasaka scowl at her sentence. They had just left the movies after watching  _Super Sentai Extreme!_ and were standing outside the theatre. Hayasaka really wanted to watch the movie, and she couldn't help but oblige. She supposed Hayasaka really just had a thing for heroes. And it wasn't like they saw each other as often as they used to. 

"Why bring that up?"

"We just watched a superhero movie," she said while shrugging, "so I remembered."

Hayasaka grimaced at her reply again, muttering a 'whatever' while he started walking towards the train station. Mafuyu just smiled to herself and followed behind him closely. The snow had inconspicuously piled up while they were watching, though, so snow as high as half of Mafuyu's legs blanketed the street sides. The snow kept falling, and Mafuyu had no doubt that it would keep on doing so till the next day.

"Is the snowstorm making a landfall today?"

"The weather forecast did mention something about it," he answered. They kept walking in companionable silence.

They reached the station a few minutes later, and Hayasaka turned towards the direction he had to take to get home. He faced her and smiled a little. "So I guess this is goodbye?"

Mafuyu had meant to wave goodbye, but she paused when she noticed that the light of the train station lighting up Hayasaka's hair. She found herself staring at it, remembering the previous times she saw his hair light up that way. Even after all these years, she still found it so mesmerizing.

She must have been staring for quite a while since Hayasaka waved a hand in front of her face, his expression that of slight worry. "Kurosaki?"

"Your hair is golden," she said while taking the hand he was waving to her own and holding it still. Hayasaka's face flushed a little and turned his head away slightly.

"Kaori-kun," she teased, "your hair is so pretty."

"Quit it," he said quietly. "And don't call me by that name."

"What," she giggled, "after all these years, are you still not used to your hair getting compliments?" She couldn't fight the impulse: she reached out and patted down his hair with her free hand.  _Uwah, it's so soft,_ she thought as she ruffled his hair. Hayasaka lowered his head a little. Whether it was to give her access to his hair or due to his instinct, she wasn't really sure.

Mafuyu absentmindedly rubbed his hair and only stopped when she saw how red Hayasaka's ears were. She quickly let go of the hand that she was still holding on to and withdrew her other hand situated on top of his head, like she was burned. Hayasaka straightened himself up and cleared his throat.

"I really have to get going," he mumbled while looking elsewhere. "Have to catch the last train and avoid the storm." His cheeks were still furiously scarlet as he tried to gather his bearings again.

Hayasaka turned his back to her and was about to start walking when she suddenly felt her hand reach out for his wrist.

"Wait," she breathed out. And before she could filter her thoughts, they had already travelled to her mouth and slipped out.

"Why don't you stay at my house tonight?"

Hayasaka looked at her as if she had lost her mind. He scratched the back of head lightly, soft tufts of hair becoming disheveled at the action. "Kurosaki―"

"I'm serious. It looks like the snow is not going to let up anytime soon, and you live a few stations too many from here," she calmly explained. Inside her head, however, her thoughts were waging a war.  _This seems like a bad idea._ "It's not like you're going to do funny stuff,  _right_?"

Hayasaka glowered at her. "Of course not."

"Then stay over."

"But," he muttered, eyes still looking at everywhere except at her, "it's not ― proper." His last word was muttered so quietly, it was barely above a whisper.

Mafuyu gave him a quizzical look. "You do know that if ever you do anything I don't want, I can just beat you up." To further prove her point, she gripped the wrist she captured a little tighter. "I know you won't do anything stupid, anyway. Besides, I just don't want you to get stranded somewhere because of the impending snowstorm."

Hayasaka still looked hesitant even as he nodded his head. "Alright, I'll stay over."

The two walked quietly to Mafuyu's home, some tension from their earlier conversation still hanging in the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh. Another repost from FF.net without end notes and my ramblings. I'm almost finished with this story over there haha so I decided to post it here. I'll post one chapter at a time (maybe every week or so) since I'll edit each chapter as I go along the way to make the story more fluid (nothing drastic, just sentence rephrasing, grammar checking, and the like. The story remains the same).
> 
> I'm not sure yet whether I'll add a chapter here for the sake of a smoother transition from one specific chapter to another (it seems kind of unfair to the people who read it over at FF), but that certain chapter seems really kind of rough for me. If I do, I'll just add it over there too. :D


	2. Want Me to Put On Usa-Chan Man's Mask?

_One day, you'll become a pervert just like me, Mafuyu._

Takaomi's words from before floated in her head, and her face paled at the memory. She and Hayasaka were walking towards her apartment in strained silence. Mafuyu knew she was being unfair when she brought up  _funny_ stuff, since between the two of them she was the one more likely to do  _something_ ―

She shrieked loudly to interrupt her own musings. "No!"

Hayasaka jumped a little at her outburst. "What is it?" he said as the shock he felt turned into concern at Mafuyu's sudden yelp.

"Ah, no, it's nothing," she answered as she laughed nervously while she ran her hand through her hair. "I just remembered something unpleasant, that's all."

Hayasaka gave her a disbelieving look, but continued to walk on ahead to her apartment. The only silver lining Mafuyu could think of about her sudden outburst was the uncomfortable silence that loomed over them had dissipated into a cordial lull.

When they reached the floor where Mafuyu's apartment was at, the snowstorm had already begun. She sighed in relief at their timing. Mafuyu looked at the apartment to the left of hers out of habit as she shoved into her pockets for her keys. Living next to Takaomi for a few years taught her body to instinctively be always on guard, and it was a habit she had not managed to break even after all those years. She lived somewhere in Aoyama nowadays, the place where she was stationed at, and it was a little far from where Midorigaoka was.  _Maybe I should visit him one of these days,_ she thought.

As she opened the door to her apartment, she invited Hayasaka in. "Well? Come on in, then."

Hayasaka looked like he was debating whether to step inside or not. He took a tentative step inside. It was his first time in her apartment, even though they had been meeting every once in a while for years. Mafuyu's place was a tiny; it was a 1K apartment. The apartment was kept in pristine condition. He couldn't help but chuckle when he saw her uniform hanging on the wall next to the kitchen sink.

"I still can't believe you became a police officer."

"Really? I thought it suits me pretty well. And haven't we talked about this before? Now, will you stop worrying and just enter my house?"

"Still doesn't make it more believable," he quipped and shrugged as he took of his shoes and placed them on the corner. His shoes lined up properly with Mafuyu's. To the left of the entryway of her house were the bath and the toilet, and straight ahead from where he was standing was another doorway that leads to her room. To his right was her kitchen.

"Who would have thought a boy who thought fighting head on magically increases his strength would want to become a doctor anyway?" she snorted in return as she opened the sliding door to her room. "You never even cared about your injuries back then."

"Oh yeah, well ― wait,  _why does that still exist?_ " He pointed to a bunny mask that was placed on top of her drawer.

"It has a lot of memories, of course! I used it a lot of times during high school. Did you forget?" she said slyly, her smile devious. "Want me to put on Usa-chan man's mask?"

Hayasaka gave her a pointed look and scowled. "Seriously, quit it!"

Mafuyu tipped over her head in delight as she laughed out loud at Hayasaka's reaction. He reddened in embarrassment and annoyance. "I was just kidding! And to think you used to really idolize Usa-chan man back then," Mafuyu said as her laughter slowed down to giggles.

"Anyway," Hayasaka coughed out loud to change the topic, "do you have any clothes that I could borrow?" he mumbled, finding it awkward to ask for some reason.

"Yeah," she replied as she went to her closet and started fishing for a shirt. "Here," she said as she tossed a large shirt to Hayasaka. "Don't look at it like that," Mafuyu explained because Hayasaka was half-looking at the shirt questioningly and half-looking at it like it had offended him. "That belongs to me."

"You have poor taste."

"So I've been told," she piped in happily. "Go change in my bathroom. Don't enter my room again until I say so, okay?"

Hayasaka looked at her inquisitively. "Huh?"

"―Pervert."

His eyes bulged out in realization, and he found his temper flare in embarrassment. "O-o-of course I won't!"

Mafuyu stuck out her tongue just as Hayasaka left her room.


	3. Will You Fight Me?

They were both settled down on Mafuyu's kotatsu table; their legs crossed under the table to provide themselves warmth. Steaming mugs of hot cocoa were placed on the tabletop, and both Mafuyu and Hayasaka were deeply engrossed with their conversation with each other, all previous tensions of the night forgotten.

"So," Mafuyu began, steering their conversation to a new topic, "what's it like to be a doctor?"

"I'm not yet a full-fledged doctor," he sighed. "I am on the last year of my internship though."

"Have you thought of what you want to specialize in?"

Hayasaka paused for a moment, seemingly lost in his thoughts. "I'm not entirely sure yet. Maybe pediatrics?"

"Really? It doesn't seem to suit you at all, though," Mafuyu replied while trying to imagine Hayasaka with children. _It actually does seem like it would fit him,_ she thought in the middle of her imagination.

He shot her a look. "Well, I'm sorry that I don't look the part."

"I was just kidding! I was just wondering why you thought of it."

He scratched his cheek while glancing sideward. "I don't really know. It's just that―" he looked back at Mafuyu and his eyes showed that he reached a proper explanation in his head. "―They seem to be the ones with a lot to lose. They still haven't seen much of the world yet, so I want to help them as much as I can. Or something like that."

Her eyes shone like they had sparkles in them. "That's so pure, Hayasaka-kun!"

Hayasaka looked at her with a deadpan face as if to say 'stop it'. He rolled his eyes when she didn't. "How about you? How is it like to be an actual police officer?" Hayasaka asked while taking a sip of his cocoa, eager to remove the spotlight from himself.

"You would think they would assign me to a division under the Criminal Investigation Bureau after I graduated from the Police Academy, but no, they assigned me to the Traffic Bureau!" she cried out, her expression turning glum.

"What? But weren't you acing all your physical tests?"

"Yeah, but," Mafuyu trailed off, and stared at cocoa mug.

"Oh," he replied when he understood what she wanted to convey and cupped the back of his neck while he thought of a response. "Didn't expect the police force to still be a very traditional organization."

"I'm already in a different division though, after an incident," she continued and Hayasaka's eyebrow rose in question. "It involved a high speed bicycle chase with a teenager who stole from a convenience store. Guess where they put me afterwards?"

"Juvenile delinquency," he stated, absolutely sure that was where she was assigned. Mafuyu beamed, put her hands up in the air, and exclaimed, "Bingo! You got the correct answer. I am now under the Safety Department in a team that handles juvenile delinquents."

Hayasaka laughed. "It really fits you!"

"I know right? I do go out of my way to make sure that our team expels a student only when they have tried everything else."

"I'm sure you do," he replied. "But that reminds me―" Hayasaka added while looking at Mafuyu thoughtfully. She looked back at him inquiringly.

"Will you fight me?"

Mafuyu's expression changed quickly, and confusion appeared on her face. "Huh?"

"You never did fight me seriously. So why don't we settle this once and for all,  _Usa-chan man?_ " he clarified, and put emphasis on the last few words to bait her.

Mafuyu just huffed. "You know I can't fight you anymore. I am a police officer, after all."

Hayasaka reached out for one of the pillows above a folded futon that lay near him and threw it at Mafuyu's face. Once the pillow fell down, she had an annoyed expression. She took the pillow and braced herself like she was about to attack, and Hayasaka took the other pillow and prepared himself.

Mafuyu was the first one to swing, aiming right at his torso; he barely dodged it and felt the strong gust of wind caused by the pillow.

"So dodging isn't unmanly anymore?" she asked as she shifted her position to prepare for another attack.

Hayasaka just scoffed in reply. "Pillows can't cause that much wind by just being swung alone!"

"Oops, forgot to hold back," Mafuyu explained as she scratched the back of her head.

They went at it for a while. Hayasaka and Mafuyu managed to land a few blows on each other. In the battle that ensued, the neatly folded futon accidentally unfurled haphazardly. He aimed for Mafuyu's left arm, but she sidestepped quickly to avoid it, and accidentally bumped into the kotatsu table. She reflexively bent down to nurse her leg, but Hayasaka did not anticipate it when he swung with great force. He tripped on Mafuyu instead, again causing the table to rock. Their mugs fell to the unsuspecting white futon near the table, the hot chocolate now bleeding into the sheets. The impact also caused her to topple over back first to the floor, with Hayasaka falling directly on top of her.

All at once, the previous awkwardness of the night resurfaced with a vengeance.


	4. Where Are You Going to Sleep Now?

The pillows lay forgotten on either of their sides. They were almost nose to nose. Even though her eyes were still closed, Mafuyu could almost feel the tip of his nose touch hers. She could feel tiny puffs of air touch her face as he breathed in, breathed out, breathed in―

Her eyes flew open and she found herself staring face to face with Hayasaka. His eyes were wide in shock, and his mouth hung ajar that would have been comical if only he wasn't so near her. She was momentarily frozen until she felt something wet touch her feet.

"The hot chocolate!" she blurted out as she unintentionally shoved Hayasaka forward, making him lurch backwards while she tried to sit up. She reflexively reached out for one his arms but applied too much force and they fell sideways, reversing their positions.

She quickly stood up and dusted off imaginary dirt from herself. She turned her attention to the soiled futon on the floor. Hayasaka was still lying down on the floor, looking at her like he still wasn't over the shock.

She bent down to get the futon and examined it. The unfortunate futon absorbed all the hot chocolate from both their mugs, and now sported a huge brown spot. Fortunately, none of the mugs were broken from their little fight. "The futon is soiled," Mafuyu said flatly. "Where are you going to sleep now?"

It took a few minutes before Hayasaka sat straight up. He stared blankly into space for another few minutes before his eyes unclouded. "Maybe we could buy a futon from a nearby convenience store?"

"Good idea," she answered, as she mechanically went to her coat rack to get her jacket while he followed suit.

They prepared their things in silence. Mafuyu tied her boots while Hayasaka zipped up his coat. She gathered her keys and her money and shoved then into her pockets as they both made their way to her front door.

Mafuyu flung the door open dramatically and purposefully. The storm seemingly roared at them and cold wind blew on both their faces as some snow made their way to her apartment. She hastily shut her door when she felt the cold creep into her jacket.

"I forgot that the nearest convenience store doesn't have any futons."

"Oh. I see," was all that Hayasaka could reply.

"Where are you going to sleep now?" she asked again as she rubbed her arms to warm herself. Mafuyu was panicking inside her mind.

He paused for a while. "Why don't we just dry the futon using a hairdryer?"

"Good idea," she replied as she started to make her way to her room again to get a dryer. She abruptly stopped halfway, and turned around, once again making her way to the door. Hayasaka grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Where are you going?" he asked exasperatedly.

She looked at him straight in the eyes. "I don't have a hairdryer."

He sighed and put his hands on Mafuyu's shoulders. "Calm down. We could just wait for it to dry naturally, right?"

Mafuyu laughed awkwardly. "I hadn't even thought of that."

He shrugged and went back inside her room to temporarily hang the wet futon on her clothesline near the alcove. She rubbed her temples as she tried to calm herself down.  _I'm a wreck,_ she thought, cursing herself for being unable to think properly a few minutes ago.

She couldn't help it, after all. She felt too giddy when Hayasaka was so near her, and she couldn't make her heart stop beating so fast. She took a few deep breaths and walked towards the room.

She knew she was teasing him a while ago when he was changing his clothes, but to be so close to him was a different matter altogether. Mafuyu recalled the last time he was that close to her in almost the same position. He was sprawled out on the field near a hill, and she was skidding towards him while calling out his name. Mafuyu sat down beside him, and he looked at her in surprise and hugged her tight. She had to laugh at the memory of her impulsiveness, and Hayasaka caught her laughing as she entered the room.

"Why are you laughing?"

"I just remembered something funny," she said as she giggled a little more.

Hayasaka looked at her for a while. "Have you calmed down?"

"What do you mean?"

"Pillow fighting wasn't really a brilliant idea, wasn't it?" he cleared his throat slightly before he continued, "I'm sorry for making you feel awkward a while ago."

Mafuyu gave him a small smile. "You did nothing like that," she answered as she nudged his elbow playfully and very lightly. She shivered involuntarily as she once again rubbed her arms. "Anyway, it really is getting a lot colder."

"Of course it will, since you opened the door and let the cold in," he said as he closed her bedroom door.


	5. Are You Really Already Asleep?

They had been talking for the past hour or so while waiting for the futon to dry. She had been sitting on her bed, her eyes rapt with attention on him even if he was on the floor. Hayasaka insisted on staying seated on the kotatsu when they had gotten back to the room. She was telling him a story about one of her colleagues when she decided to momentarily stand up to check the futon. She gave Hayasaka a signal to wait for a while as she made her way to the alcove wrapped in her comforter, and he obliged; he had been listening quietly to her story, after all, his head supported by his arm resting on the table.

The futon was still wet, and the freezing weather didn't help. She sighed as she tried to think of ways to make it dry faster. "Oh, by the way," she started even when her back was still turned to him, "Hayasaka-kun ―"

She paused, turned around, and silently giggled at the sight before her. Hayasaka was dozing off on the kotatsu table. It was fun to watch; he kept on slipping from his palm as he continually nodded off and leaned on his hand. Mafuyu took in the sight of him for a few minutes. She then tiptoed to the table and gently shook his shoulder.

"Hayasaka-kun," she softly said, and he awoke with a start; took his watery eyes some time to process that it was Mafuyu who woke him up. "You can sleep on my bed. I've already told you that you can a while ago."

He looked at her with bloodshot eyes and waved her off. "No need," he mumbled as he rested his head on his arm, voice still caked with sleep. Not even a minute after, sleep took over him once again; the soft rise and fall of his breaths the only sound audible in the room. The whirling wind caused by the snowstorm felt far away from where they were, seemingly trivial compared to the quietness of the room and his breathing.

She sat opposite him on the kotatsu. She slumped over the table and rested her head on her crossed arms to peer over Hayasaka's serene face. "Are you really already asleep?" Mafuyu whispered. The sound of silence was the only reply she received.

She kept quiet for awhile and continued gazing at Hayasaka while he was slumbering. She listened to the peace that enveloped the room and her heart beating steadily yet surely in her chest. The kotatsu felt warm even amidst the cold temperature of the room, especially when her knees brushed up against his every once in a while.

"Kaori-kun," she said almost inaudibly, and couldn't hold back the smile that spread on her lips; she buried her head in her arms and smiled wide. She had always loved the way his first name tasted on her tongue. She couldn't understand why he was so against it when it fit him perfectly. She peeked out from her folded arms again and sighed contentedly.

She turned her head sideways, her view of Hayasaka becoming slightly tilted. "It was also during that time that I learned of your first name, right?" she mumbled, her voice muffled by her arm.

Mafuyu reached out for his hair and gently ran her hand through his hair made golden by the incandescent light of her night lamp. She tangled her fingers through the strands while remembering past Christmas Eves, the times when she would see his hair glitter under streetlights.

"Come to think of it, it's December now."

She hadn't noticed that she had stopped moving her hand nor had she realized that Hayasaka had held her hand when she paused. Mafuyu slightly jolted back in surprise just as sleepy eyes lazily opened to stare at her questioningly. "So what if it's December?"

She kept her composure and smiled. "Nothing."

Hayasaka stared at her as if assessing her statement. She silently swallowed as she felt like his eyes pierced and saw through her. He still held her hand, and their hands hung suspended in air near his hair.

"You must really have a thing for hair," he said as he turned his head and started to slip his hand away from Mafuyu's. She didn't think when she reached out for the hand and grasped it tightly. Hayasaka was caught off guard at her action, and so was Mafuyu.

They looked at each other, surprise evident on their faces. Mafuyu held his gaze for as long as she could, and when she couldn't do it anymore, she reached out for his cheeks and lightly pinched them.

"What are you doing?" he asked as she stretched his face. He looked a little lost as he sat there on the other side of the kotatsu with Mafuyu leaning in to pinch him. She soundlessly laughed, even if she could still feel the heat that occupied her cheeks.

She felt him grit his teeth. She let go of her hold on his face. "Hayasaka-kun?"

He abruptly stood up; went to Mafuyu's side. He stopped, clenched his fists tightly, took deep breaths; Mafuyu watched him as he tried to calm himself down. He sat down, crossed his legs, looked at her. She held her breath as he gazed at her like he did before; like he was reading her mind.

Mafuyu swore the snowstorm outside stopped when his lips met hers.


	6. We're No Longer Teenagers, Aren't We?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still cringe at this chapter

She was too dumbfounded to react to his kiss. It was a simple graze of his lips on hers, and yet she knew that she liked how his lips felt on her lips just as much she loved how his name rolled off her tongue. Mafuyu was just about to return his kiss when he pulled and looked away.

He cleared his throat and opened his mouth as if to say something; she thought that it was probably 'sorry' given that there was what she reckoned was guilt in his eyes. She didn't let him finish. She made him face her again as she cupped his face tenderly yet firmly. Only then did he turn his gaze back to her. She only gazed at them for a moment before she closed her eyes again and moved forward.

She kissed him quickly and tentatively: a light peck squarely on Hayasaka's lips. Then another followed on one side of his lips, and another on the other side, each kiss lingering a little longer and surer than the last. On her fourth kiss, Hayasaka met her halfway and kissed her just as softly. They pulled away from each other as Hayasaka tucked a few stray strands of hair on her face behind her ear and as her hands slid down to hold his shoulders instead.

The fifth kiss tasted like hot chocolate, and feeling giddy when his lips was on hers suddenly seemed silly when tasting them felt infinitely better. Maybe it was the sixth, but she wasn't sure and she didn't care, not when she felt her eyelashes caress his nose as he tilted his head and kissed her deeper. Her arms had made their way at the back of his neck. His hand felt cool as he held the small of her back; the only reminder that there was a snowstorm outside the window that was causing the air to freeze everything; the reason why Hayasaka was here in the first place and why the futon was still hanging in her alcove. For once, she was thankful for making a bad decision on a whim.

She had one hand tangled in his hair when they pulled away from each other again; she didn't even notice that she was already running her hand through his hair until they broke apart the kiss. They gasped for air only for a while before he moved even closer, as close as he could get with their crossed legs in the way. He anchored his hand somewhere behind her to support them as he shifted his weight forward a little more-

But it was a little too much, and they tumbled, with Mafuyu falling flat on her back, and Hayasaka hovering above her. Hayasaka looked at her like he was just snapping back to reality and blinked a few times. He pulled back his hands and placed them on his lap as he turned his body away from Mafuyu.

She started to properly seat herself again, but before she could use her elbows to lift herself up, Hayasakea offered his arm. "Here," he mumbled as he covered his face with his other hand and remained turned away from her. She stared at the outstretched arm before her, and observed the red ears that were visible even if he mostly kept only his back to her to shield his face.

She felt her cheeks impossibly warm up even more; accepted the help and pulled herself up. When she was already seated, she started to brush off imaginary dust from her clothes as Hayasaka pulled back his arm and coughed aloud.

They sat in silence for a while. Mafuyu listened to the quiet thumping of her heartbeat, and she could feel the heat on her cheeks spread all over her face. She gingerly touched her lips, traced along its shape as she committed to memory the singeing feeling of being kissed by the person beside her.

The silence was broken only by Mafuyu's quiet giggles, and Hayasaka turned around and asked, "What's so funny?" even if he himself couldn't keep a straight face anymore. They both laughed softly at first before they both ended up laughing to their hearts' content.

After they had both settled down, Mafuyu rested her head on his shoulder. "We're no longer teenagers, aren't we?" she said as she smiled. "Why are we like this then? We weren't even like this during high school."

"We weren't exactly normal back then," he offered as he tipped his body to one side to let Mafuyu lean on him more comfortably. "You called yourself Usa-chan man then. That's not really typical behavior of a high school kid."

"Says the so-called delinquent who cut classes just so he could study."

"Isn't that just an underhanded compliment?" he replied as he chuckled. Mafuyu lightly pinched his arm and placed it near one of his hands, intertwining his pinky finger with hers.

 


	7. May I Call You That?

They were on her bed. He finally relented to her request that they sleep beside each other on the bed instead of waiting for the soiled futon to dry. A comforter was wrapped around them as they sat together side-by-side. Their hands were clasped together; their fingers were entangled. Their legs sometimes brushed against each other. It should have felt the same as before with the kotatsu between them, but it felt completely different.

The room even felt warmer, even if the snowstorm outside the room was at its peak. Mafuyu felt giddy. She remembered feeling nervous earlier that night and thinking that inviting him over would be a bad idea. She did, but at the moment it felt like a galaxy away. She couldn't conjure up the feeling of the dread amidst the overwhelming happiness that filled her heart.

She couldn't help but smile. "Kaori-kun," she said while keeping her eyes fixed on a spot far in the distance. Mafuyu felt him stiffen a little at the name. "May I call you that?"

"Yeah. Yeah, that would be nice," he answered quietly as he relaxed again. Silence blanketed them once again, but this time it was warm like the comforter draped on them to keep away the cold. She felt content holding his hand in the cold night.

"Mafuyu," he called out. Mafuyu turned her head around in surprise and was greeted with a quick kiss which caught her unaware. She giggled in response and planted a peck of her own in return. Her name as it fell out of his lips felt like affection that threatened to wash over her in waves. It felt right.

She nuzzled her face on his shoulder as he rested his head on hers. "I thought it would be harder than this. Thought I needed to jump you."

"Didn't you do that a lot anyway?" he asked. His voice was unable to mask his confusion; her intended meaning flew over his head. "Back in high school."

Mafuyu laughed nervously as she remembered what she was thinking of earlier that night: funny stuff and Takaomi's premonition. "I guess I did," she hastily replied, eager to change the subject. "Anyway, about a while ago," she started, but was cut off by Kaori as he let out a huge yawn.

"Why are you so tired anyway? You were out like a log a while ago."

He shook his head. "No reason."

"Am I that boring?" she asked, her eyes becoming downcast.

"No, of course not," he reassured her as he held her hand just a little tighter. "I just went straight here after my shift," he mumbled as he added, "to see you."

"Missed me too much?" she quipped as she perked up and nudged his side lightly.

"You wish," he replied even as he tried his best to hide his smile.

Mafuyu sighed contentedly as she rested her head on his shoulder again. "It's December. Remember what happened in December once?"

"Don't remind me," he groaned. "I can't believe I wasn't able to find out it was you."

"Well, to your credit, you figured out it was me at first. I just made you believe otherwise. Gave you another bunny mask and all, remember?"

"Now that I think of it," he paused.

"Kaori?" Mafuyu asked when he took a minute too long to go on. She stroked his hand enclosed on hers; he took a deep breath as he lightly squeezed her palm.

"I know we've talked about this before. It hurt when I found out, you know? That you didn't tell me the truth right away. I felt betrayed. I mean, I really thought you were a hero," he faltered, his voice tapering off.

She was about to speak when he continued. "But I'm glad. We wouldn't be like this if I did."

Mafuyu grinned and ruffled his hair with her free hand. "Silly," she said as she lightly pinched his cheek again. "You really must have a thing for heroes, don't you?"

"That's what you take away from all that?"

"Just kidding," she laughed as he let go of his cheeks and placed her hand on his arm. "I was thinking of the past, you know. Before you woke up."

"The past?"

"That time, on the field. I was really worried. It was raining, and it was muddy-"

"-You even slid down the hill. You really were crazy," he continued for her, and that earned him another nudge on the side, a little harder than the last. They both laughed at themselves as they looked at each other.

"I'm glad I found you," she said as she closed her eyes and leaned in for a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, the delay of the final chapter of this fanfic stems from my hesitance to write a more mature chapter lol. I had planned to add an additional chapter exclusive to this site (since FF doesn't support more mature stuff, apparently. At least from what I've read online. I had to check 'cause I only started writing on the site last year :)) ) that had some mature content, but I guess I couldn't go with the mature route. So yeahhh. Time to wrap this up.


	8. Will You Go Out With Me?

The snowstorm had subsided. Sunshine poured into her window pane, making Kaori's hair glow golden under the morning light. Mafuyu was glad she was greeted by the sight, and vaguely remembered the way the dim streetlight illuminated his hair just the night before. There was something undeniably different about the way it appeared to her at that moment than it did last night.

He snored, and she giggled. He immediately fell asleep when his head hit the pillow, his exhaustion getting the best of him.

It was calming to watch him. She closed her eyes and listened to their heartbeats punctuate the silence of the room. She could stay there forever, listening to the rhythm of their hearts and breaths. Kaori turned around in his sleep, so that he was now facing her. She opened her eyes to the sight of his closed eyelids and long lashes and... and-

When Kaori woke up, Usa-chan Man was facing him. He tried to pull the mask off from her face by holding her hands and tugging them, but she kept her hold firm and pulled the mask towards her more.

"What's up with that?" he asked as he continued to tug the mask away from her. She shook her head.

"You like Usa-chan Man, right?"

Kaori could feel his frustration rise. "Well, _you're_ Usa-chan Man! Haven't we already established the fact that I like you?"

That made her stop struggling. "I like you too," she mumbled through the mask. He slowly tried to pull away the mask while she was still pacified. He was too slow, however, and she regained her firm grip on her mask.

"You're not making any sense," he sighed.

She paused for a while before she weakly replied, "this is embarrassing." If Kaori weren't paying that much attention to her, he wouldn't have caught it.

He had to chuckle at that. "What happened to the Mafuyu of last night?" he teased, and he could feel her hands freeze. He tried to imitate her voice as closely as he could. "'Why don't you stay at my house tonight?'"

Mafuyu quickly brought the mask off her face that it took Kaori aback. She was supposed to say something, but then she realized that she was now face to face with him. She covered her face with her hands instead.

"Oi," he said, as he now pulled her hands off her face. "I'm embarrassed too, okay." She finally loosened her grip on her own face and Kaori gently pulled them away.

It was evident on their faces that they were both flushed, and they knew that it wasn't entirely because of the slight struggle awhile ago. Kaori gazed at her intensely, and she returned it. He inched in closer, and she couldn't suppress it any longer-

She started laughing, making Kaori miss her lips, and kiss her forehead instead.

"Hey," he started, frustration coloring his voice. Before he could continue to grumble, Mafuyu took a hold of his face and planted a quick peck on his lips.

"Good morning," she greeted him and smiled widely. He couldn't help but crack into a smile as well. He took a hold of one of her cheeks and lightly pinched it.

"This is revenge," he said. Mafuyu let out a tiny "oww". Kaori then sat down on the bed, while Mafuyu continued to lie down. She watched as her shirt draped across his lean frame, and the neckline was all askew, exposing one side of his shoulders.

"I think I kind of get why guys like seeing their partners wear their clothes," she muttered to herself as he stared at him.

"What?" he replied, and Mafuyu quickly countered with a "nothing!" She quickly stood up from bed as well and flashed a forced grin at him.

He shot her a questioning look. "I forgot that I don't have any food in the refrigerator."

"Don't tell me you still subsist on a diet of instant ramen noodles?"

She smiled guiltily and laughed. "Will you go out with me?"

He was supposed to rant more but found himself stopping when he heard what she said. "Shouldn't I be the one to ask that?"

"Ask what? If you want to eat breakfast that I'll buy outside or here?" she answered back, and it was only after a few minutes of him staring at her did she realize what he meant. " _Oh._ That. Well, I guess I can mean that as well..." she said as she slightly turned her head and a healthy dusting of pink appeared on her cheeks.

Kaori just chuckled. "Sure. To both of the questions."

Mafuyu beamed. "Well what are you waiting for? Get dressed!"

.*.

They were just about ready to go when Kaori saw her police uniform hanging on the wall. "Y'know," he began. Mafuyu looked at him, interested.

"I was thinking of asking you, before you asked me."

"Ask you what?" she replied as she tied her shoes.

He sighed, as if not really sure if he wanted to continue. "'Will you go out with me?', but I wanted to word it a little differently."

"... Are you mad that I asked first?"

"No!" he replied. "Of course not. I just wanted to ask it in a different way."

"Well," she answered as she tightened her laces and stood up, "how would you have asked?"

"Promise you're not going to laugh?"

"Promise."

Kaori cleared his throat and stood in front of her. "Do you want to be my sidekick?"

Mafuyu tried to hold it in, but ended up bursting in laughter.

"You said you wouldn't laugh!"

"You really must have a thing for heroes, don't you?" she echoed herself last night. But she took his arm and crossed it with hers. "As long as you promise to be my sidekick too," she whispered in his ear.

"It's a deal," he answered. He sneaked in a little kiss on her cheek as they walked out the door, one of their hands and arms intertwined together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will I be proud of this work in the future? I'm not sure, but I sure did have fun writing it lol
> 
> Thanks for reading until the end!


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